American Utopia (LP)

David Byrne

Amoeba Review

03/08/2018

American Utopia, David Byrne's first album since 2004, is an intellectual, playful, and memorable chronicle of -- you guessed it -- modern American society. Byrne tackles the tough stuff on songs like "Bullet," about a gun death, and "Gasoline And Dirty Sheets," featuring a refugee's take on consumer culture. Yet there's also plenty of levity here on tracks like "Every Day Is A Miracle," a tribute to the quotidian as seen through the eyes of a bug, a bird and...a tongue. The album's sound is lush, eclectic, and breathlessly alive and that's thanks in part to Byrne's superstar lineup of collaborators, among them producers Rodaidh McDonald (The xx, Adele) and Patrick Dillett (Nile Rogers, Sufjan Stevens,) synth player Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never), drummer Joey Waronker (Beck), singer/pianist Sampha, and the inimitable Mr. Brian Eno. Byrne's ability to continually evolve and expand his sound is impressive and this latest LP is a fantastic showcase for one of our greatest contemporary artists.